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Local group puts together care packages for soldiers
Published 7/15/2011 in Local News
By ANGIE HAFLICH
ahaflich@gctelegram.com
Betty Sheets of Mosaic, its affiliate Jumpy Monkey Coffee and individuals from Mosaic's Peoples' Choice Council are on a mission to fill 100 care packages for soldiers who currently are overseas. They call it "Christmas in July."
"The Peoples' Choice Council is made up of our developmentally disabled individuals and they are the ones who voted to do this, because they like to give back," Sheets said.
On Thursday, Sheets and Aaron Alspach, president of the council, set up shop at Sinfully Sweet Bakery, where Bobby Wild, disc jockey from Southwest Kansas Broadcasting Center, held a remote radio broadcast promoting the event.
Shannon Ortega, owner of Sinfully Sweet, said that they wanted to do their part to help. During the event, they gave military personnel free cupcakes. And they gave anybody who sponsored a box for the soldiers a 15 percent discount on any purchase. They also are donating sugar cookies for the care packages.
"We've been working on some stars and stripes sugar cookies," Ortega said.
Her four kids were decorating the stars and stripes cookies that will be placed in the care packages.
Other items that have been contributed by local businesses include: salsa from El Zarape, chips from Sam's Club, Trail Mix from Ewe Specialties, Chia Pets from Wharton's and the Crazy House has contributed many types of goods, such as nail clippers, magnifying glasses and bug bands (repellents).
The cost to sponsor a box is $30. Sheets said that because it is sometimes difficult for one person to come up with the entire amount, another alternative is for people to split the cost of sponsorship among coworkers, family members or friends. Some local businesses have placed jars in their stores in order to collect cash donations, as well.
The National Guard, fire and police departments also have been doing their part to help.
"The fire department and the police department have come through and been a part of it, handing out their own literature," Sheets said. "They are people of local service that we tend to forget about. They put their lives on the line every day, so I wanted them to be a part of this, too."
Firefighters Matt Kasriel, Ryan Powers and Aaron Abrigo were at the Sinfully Sweet event Thursday. Kasriel said that they have been trying to spread the word because they feel troops need the support from home.
Staff Sergeant Jose Carrillo and Sergeant First Class Jason Good of the Kansas National Guard also were on hand, preparing sponsorship packets and setting up for the event. As military personnel, they understand how important care packages are to the troops.
"It's a good thing when you go back to your barracks or room and find a box there waiting for you," Carrillo said. "I have a couple of friends over in Africa right now — they have family and stuff — but there are others who aren't fortunate enough to have that family support. The boxes will be an extra boost for them."
Good said, "From being previously deployed, it's nice to get care packages, other than just Christmas time — everybody sends it then — but the rest of the year it mostly just comes from mom and dad and other family members, so it's nice to receive packages from the community also."
Thursday's event at Sinfully Sweet yielded six more boxes, bringing the total sponsored to 20 to 80 short of their goal.
"It's been kind of a slow start," Sheets said. "But as a community, Garden City has so much to be proud of. The local businesses have stepped up and backed it 100 percent and that has been a tremendous feeling."
Their final event is being held at the Crazy House on Thursday.
"We're going to have a dunk tank at the Crazy House where we'll be dunking Bobby Wild," Sheets said.
She is hopeful that will bring more people out who can sponsor the boxes so they can meet their goal.
"The cost of shipping is $15 per box, so the $30 dollars that somebody gives to sponsor a box — $15 of it goes toward shipping, and then the other portion helps cover advertising and a little of the product costs," Sheets said. "It's not a money maker, it's totally a giving situation."
In addition to all of the goodies, soldiers will receive greeting cards with the message, "For the freedoms that we all enjoy — our thanks go to the young men and women serving in all branches of the military. We salute you." The cards contain the signatures of the members of Mosaic's Peoples' Choice Council and by sponsors of the boxes.
Sheets said that once each box is filled, they handle all of the packaging and shipping.
"The last week of July, we'll start assembling them and we'll get the fresh goods to put in them and then we'll ship them out," she said.
For more information about sponsoring a box or donating items to be shipped, call Sheets at 275-9180 ext. 338 or email her at betty.sheets@mosaicinfo.org.
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